Tivo Roamio side:7) Connect drive
8) Turn on Power to Tivo
9) Wait until Guided Setup (takes about 4 mins for first boot)
10) Celebrate and Donate what you think it's worth.

Known limitations:No data is migrated over (pytivo/kmttg backups should work)
Cable Card will likely need to be re-paired, but in a smaller number of cases, this did not apply
Not supersized
Found Tivo bug, variance in fsck mount frequency, should be inconsequential

I am unable to PM, but would love to test. I have a new Roamio base model (for OTA) and a shiny new WD 4 TB WD40EZRX along with a Windows 7 computer and SATA capability (I think I answered all the questions). Would be happy to test.

I have tested telemark's image in a Roamio Plus and have not found any operational issues or problems with it yet. It will give you 637 hours of HD. Haven't found any missing gui elements and all the menus appear functional. I have a Motorola MCard and I lost pairing of the cableCARD. (Had to call Charter 3 times before I got someone who could re-pair the cableCARD to the TiVo). You do not have to do a C&DE after you boot the image to sync it to the TiVo, it works with first boot.

Major test not done on the image yet is to try to fill it up completely and see how it performs.

Telemark did a great job in developing this image.

__________________
"Delay is preferable to error" - Thomas Jefferson
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Sir Isaac Newton

Hi, I tried this upgrade. I powered down my utility computer used to image the drive before I grabbed the pastebin URL of the run, but it all seemed to apply fine.

However, after I put the HD back in the TiVo Roamio, it gets an initial boot screen but soon after it seems to lose HDMI output now. It doesn't come back. I have the original drive, I'm gonna verify it works fine with it.

Hi, I tried this upgrade. I powered down my utility computer used to image the drive before I grabbed the pastebin URL of the run, but it all seemed to apply fine.

However, after I put the HD back in the TiVo Roamio, it gets an initial boot screen but soon after it seems to lose HDMI output now. It doesn't come back. I have the original drive, I'm gonna verify it works fine with it.

This is a 4-tuner Roamio. Any suggestions?

Could it be trying to output a video format your TV can't handle? On the plus and Pro you can press the format button on the front panel however I forget if the basic Roamio has that same function? I can't recall if the basic has any external button function on the box, might try giving a few minutes to come up, press live TV then the clear buttons on the remote then the zoom button to see if the screen resolution changes but it should by default come up in a resolution that works.

Could it be trying to output a video format your TV can't handle? On the plus and Pro you can press the format button on the front panel however I forget if the basic Roamio has that same function? I can't recall if the basic has any external button function on the box, might try giving a few minutes to come up, press live TV then the clear buttons on the remote then the zoom button to see if the screen resolution changes but it should by default come up in a resolution that works.

I left it there all night, it comes up with an initial TiVo "Welcome" screen and then it loses signal after 10-20 seconds. Left it there all night no change.

You can always run the install again, it doesn't matter whether you did it before.

There is a moment when a Roamio is booting the screen goes black, but it shouldn't be that way for longer than something like 20 seconds, unless somehow the box froze at that stage.

Knoppix 7.2 Boot DVD on an old 2008-Dell Precision Tower.

The harddrive is: WD AV-GP WD40EURX 4TB

I booted the Roamio up before doing the upgrade and played around. There was never more than a half-second flicker switching between 480p and 1080i/p or whatever it went to next. Specifically, as it's booting, when the green light is on and begins to quickly blink back and forth between the green light and the yellowish light next to it, it immediately goes out after that quick sequence (which is typically when you can hit Pause for 2 seconds and hit the kickstart options per a Weakness page I don't have enough posts to link to). But basically right after the moment you can hit pause for 2 seconds to go into kickstart, that's when it loses output signal.

Maybe there are some differences with the smaller Roamio? I'm guessing this was only tested on Plus and Pro versions? I'll run the upgrade on the HD again and make sure I don't lose the Pastebin of the output again.

Consider checking if the boot partitions are the same for the original image and the 4TB image.

Ahhh so, that's interesting. How exactly should I check them? After I ran the utility, I couldn't even display the partition table with like parted or fdisk, it didn't seem to have a valid partition setup. Maybe I needed to do a partprobe first, I forgot to do that first. I'll try again.

Ahhh so, that's interesting. How exactly should I check them? After I ran the utility, I couldn't even display the partition table with like parted or fdisk, it didn't seem to have a valid partition setup. Maybe I needed to do a partprobe first, I forgot to do that first. I'll try again.

I have both original and new HDs plugged into my test computer booted into Knoppix. I am unsure how to check the partition setup to compare:

OK, I just figured out the problem. I reproduced the issue with factory drive. It turned out the HDMI cable went bad, probably when I was pulling it out further to work on the TiVo. Go figure. I plugged it into the HDMI cable on one of the game consoles that I knew worked, and Viola. I put the 4TB back in, and it change resolution. It's at the "Almost there..." screen now.

Maybe there are some differences with the smaller Roamio? I'm guessing this was only tested on Plus and Pro versions?

N, I used the smaller basic Roamio, and jmbach used a Pro, so we have those bases well covered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heretic

Here's the output of the scripts when I run again (removed original HD first):

Looks correct.

Quote:

OK, I just figured out the problem. I reproduced the issue with factory drive. It turned out the HDMI cable went bad, probably when I was pulling it out further to work on the TiVo. Go figure. I plugged it into the HDMI cable on one of the game consoles that I knew worked, and Viola. I put the 4TB back in, and it change resolution. It's at the "Almost there..." screen now.

Well that's an odd one, I wonder why the 1st screen would come up but not the others. I noticed with the base model, it's so light it's tricky to get the HDMI and eSata cable all the way in.

Well that's an odd one, I wonder why the 1st screen would come up but not the others. I noticed with the base model, it's so light it's tricky to get the HDMI and eSata cable all the way in.

Yea, I reseated the cable several times, and then yanked the nearest HDMI cable from the device it was in. I probably kinked the first HDMI cable or something, they are old cables. I watched it closely where it lost video before, and it was a 480i => 720p switch I believe. Might have been 480p, but I think it was 480i at bootup.

So will this work with any of the Roamio Models? I have a Roamio Pro and wouldn't mind upgrading to a 4TB Seagate A/V drive.

Yes it will. It has been tested successfully on a Roamio Basic and a Plus. The only difference between a Pro and a Plus is the hard drive.

The Seagate A/V drive should work in the Pro. I have one in my Premiere. There was a TCF member trying to use a Seagate drive in a Roamio Basic. The unit kept on rebooting. It was thought that the power requirements for the Seagate drive was too much for the Basic's power supply. (The Seagate drives both A/V and non A/V draw about 3.5 watts more than a WDC equivalent)

__________________
"Delay is preferable to error" - Thomas Jefferson
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Sir Isaac Newton

Yes it will. It has been tested successfully on a Roamio Basic and a Plus. The only difference between a Pro and a Plus is the hard drive.

The Seagate A/V drive should work in the Pro. I have one in my Premiere. There was a TCF member trying to use a Seagate drive in a Roamio Basic. The unit kept on rebooting. It was thought that the power requirements for the Seagate drive was too much for the Basic's power supply. (The Seagate drives both A/V and non A/V draw about 3.5 watts more than a WDC equivalent)

Holy Crap!! I guess the Seagate is out. I see the seagate is listed as drawing 8 watts while the WD drive is listed as drawing only 5.1 watts. I'm surprised there is such a huge difference. So if I do this I will make sure I get the 4TB WD AV-GP drive.

EDIT: Hmmm.. surprisingly the 3TB WD AV-GP drives draw 6 watts. So the 4TB version actually draws less power than the 3TB versions.
Well maybe that is one of the differences with the newest ones(WD40PURX). I'm looking at the specs for the EURX and EURS 3TB drives and the EURS for the 4TB version. I don't see the specs for the WD40PURX model.

EDIT: I found the specs for the 4TB PURX. The Power usage is the same as the 4TB EURS. THE PURX version is 1 dBA louder.

Holy Crap!! I guess the Seagate is out. I see the seagate is listed as drawing 8 watts while the WD drive is listed as drawing only 5.1 watts. I'm surprised there is such a huge difference. So if I do this I will make sure I get the 4TB WD AV-GP drive.

EDIT: Hmmm.. surprisingly the 3TB WD AV-GP drives draw 6 watts. So the 4TB version actually draws less power than the 3TB versions.
Well maybe that is one of the differences with the newest ones(WD40PURX). I'm looking at the specs for the EURX and EURS 3TB drives and the EURS for the 4TB version. I don't see the specs for the WD40PURX model.

EDIT: I found the specs for the 4TB PURX. The Power usage is the same as the 4TB EURS. THE PURX version is 1 dBA louder.

I recall an article about some of the drives using 1TB platters and others using 800GB platters, which might have something to do with the amperage, in this case. I think the differing platter technologies like, perpendicular technology, use differing thickness platters, as well. These differences can make a huge difference in spin-up current, but once spinning most of it would seem to be airflow/drag related (which more platters/heads increases).

The reviews of the Purple drive are hard to make any sense of, right now. It seems WD, across all lines, has been shiping more drives that are DOA, or fail quickly, than good ones, causing reviews on all their drives to tank. The ones with the most reviews take longer for the overall rating to move negatively. I'm not buying any more drives for a while, until this reverses. If I absolutely have to buy a drive, it's not going to be WD, for now.

If you want to be one of the first to try the Purple in a TiVo... Well, somebody has to do it. I just wish it could be without the dark cloud over WD right now.

I wouldn't worry much about the power supply stressing in a Plus/Pro. I can say that my 3TB WD Red NAS drives share the same power profile as the 3TB AV-GP and make my base Roamio wall-warts hot to the touch, if not well ventilated (worries me a bit).

I'm sure you'll keep us posted, so I need not ask...

__________________As of 03/13/15I'm going to put all things TCF on ice, or back-burner, for now (could wind up being for the foreseeable future).
I may still post from time to time, until it's just not possible, at all, and might not be able to follow-up/through with posts/PMs.
My time/focus needs to be elsewhere. PMs welcomed, but responses not guaranteed. In need of a miracle.

Within a line, probably total platter mass will explain the power variance, which should translate to number of platters, followed by platter thickness.
Within a manufacturer, newer drives will be more efficient given the same platter mass.
The 4TB drive on my dev bench is a Purple. So I can say it has no spin up problems and it can boot into guided setup on Roamio Basic and Premiere.

I never had an upgrade drive work with the TiVo non-SMART tests, but they've always done the SMART-specific ones, and all of them, until my base-Roamios and my 3TB WD Red NAS drives.

My three base-Roamios can only do self-test, short test, and conveyance tests with the Reds. The other two long tests I gave up after 4000+ minutes of running each, one one at a time, trying all three Roamios.

It could be due to a subset of the idle-timer that is specific to WD Red NAS drives, which I have yet to try adjusting/disabling. I know that a run of the usual tool for WD (wdidle3.exe) reported they all were set disabled. Then, later on I find out there's a specific tool for those drives. My WAG is that the time between the TiVo polling the drive's test status my be letting that specific timer time-out, and the tests either stop, or I just never see they have completed for some reason.

__________________As of 03/13/15I'm going to put all things TCF on ice, or back-burner, for now (could wind up being for the foreseeable future).
I may still post from time to time, until it's just not possible, at all, and might not be able to follow-up/through with posts/PMs.
My time/focus needs to be elsewhere. PMs welcomed, but responses not guaranteed. In need of a miracle.

I wouldn't worry much about the power supply stressing in a Plus/Pro. I can say that my 3TB WD Red NAS drives share the same power profile as the 3TB AV-GP and make my base Roamio wall-warts hot to the touch, if not well ventilated (worries me a bit).

FWIW: I upgraded my base Roamio with a 3TB WD AV-GP drive. The unit sits out in the open, as does its wall-wart power supply. The wall-wart runs fairly warm to the touch, but I wouldn't call it "hot", at least not enough to be worrisome.

I recall an article about some of the drives using 1TB platters and others using 800GB platters, which might have something to do with the amperage, in this case. I think the differing platter technologies like, perpendicular technology, use differing thickness platters, as well. These differences can make a huge difference in spin-up current, but once spinning most of it would seem to be airflow/drag related (which more platters/heads increases).

The reviews of the Purple drive are hard to make any sense of, right now. It seems WD, across all lines, has been shiping more drives that are DOA, or fail quickly, than good ones, causing reviews on all their drives to tank. The ones with the most reviews take longer for the overall rating to move negatively. I'm not buying any more drives for a while, until this reverses. If I absolutely have to buy a drive, it's not going to be WD, for now.

If you want to be one of the first to try the Purple in a TiVo... Well, somebody has to do it. I just wish it could be without the dark cloud over WD right now.

I wouldn't worry much about the power supply stressing in a Plus/Pro. I can say that my 3TB WD Red NAS drives share the same power profile as the 3TB AV-GP and make my base Roamio wall-warts hot to the touch, if not well ventilated (worries me a bit).

I'm sure you'll keep us posted, so I need not ask...

Hrm, I see there's now a replacement not a month after I bought the WD40EURX in the WD40PURX. I imagine the Purple will work just fine. I've used about 20% of the space in the WD40EURX, so far it's worked well and I'm happy with it. Definitely quiet. I only got the Tuning Adapter working a few days ago actually so now I'm starting to record a lot more.

I would certainly say if it failed. Picture quality on the cable provider is pretty good on some feeds. Definitely feed dependent it seems, but seems there's good potential for image quality. I had gotten the 4-tuner one to fall back to over-the-air, but now I'm regretting not starting with the Plus for the extra tuners. Oh wells!

Hrm, I see there's now a replacement not a month after I bought the WD40EURX in the WD40PURX.

Is that going by NewEgg's auto-scripting of "newer model available"? I'm seriously believing that to be in error, or an attempt by WD to call attention to their new drive line, by misleading NewEgg.

Unless WD re-words their marketing materials and spec sheets for the Purple PURX drives, I see them more as a drive made for RAID arrays that handle AV exclusively. The Red NAS line has actually been the leader on that front (they are also AV-rated).

Then again, the AV-GP line was used in TiVos for a long time before WD ever changed the marketing and spec sheets to include TV DVR usage. One thing the AV-GP line was NEVER marketed for was use in arrays. They were always intended to be standalone drives.

The Red NAS are marketed for stand-alone and array use, while The Purple seems to not really be marketed for single-drive use (although not specifically stated as "not for use as"). Sometimes the specs say little about usage scenarios, and all there is to go by is the marketing materials.

I got the base-Roamios for OTA fallback capability too. I'm happy with that decision, and just bought more Roamios, giving me the tuners I needed, plus more storage, as well as redundancy and load-balancing.

My testing of the Red NAS outside of TiVo, is showing they start off strong at over 150MB/s max on the inner tracks (low LBAs), but steadily arc down to as low as 60MB/s on the outer tracks (high LBAs). That's with consecutive reads and writes all the way, and only one at a time. I'm not sure that those slower outer tracks are well-suited for 6-tuners of HD, or even 4...

Still doing some testing, and need to get back to it. I have determined (for certain) that the wdidle3.exe tool does NOT stop the Red NAS from parking the heads during inactivity. It will report the idle-timer disabled, but the Reds have their own tool to adjust this, which I'm about to do some testing with.

__________________As of 03/13/15I'm going to put all things TCF on ice, or back-burner, for now (could wind up being for the foreseeable future).
I may still post from time to time, until it's just not possible, at all, and might not be able to follow-up/through with posts/PMs.
My time/focus needs to be elsewhere. PMs welcomed, but responses not guaranteed. In need of a miracle.